International Educational Attainment - National Center for ...
Chapter: 5/International Comparisons
Section: Enrollment and Attainment
International Educational Attainment
Across OECD countries, the average percentage of 25- to 64-year-olds with any
postsecondary degree increased from 31 percent in 2010 to 38 percent in 2019. In the
United States, during the same period, the percentage increased from 42 percent to
48 percent.
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD) is a group of 37 countries whose
purpose is to promote trade and economic growth. The
OECD also collects and publishes an array of data on
its member countries. This indicator uses OECD data to
compare educational attainment across countries using
two measures: high school completion and attainment of any
postsecondary degree.1 In the United States, ¡°high school
completion¡± refers to individuals who have been awarded
a high school diploma or an equivalent credential, such
as the GED.2 ¡°Attainment of any postsecondary degree¡±
refers to individuals who have been awarded an associate¡¯s
or higher degree.3
Among the 35 countries4 for which the OECD reported
2019 data on high school completion rates, the percentages
of 25- to 64-year-olds5 who had completed high school
ranged from 40 percent in Mexico to 90 percent or more
in eight countries (Estonia, Finland, the United States,
the Slovak Republic, Canada, Poland, Lithuania, and the
Czech Republic). Twenty-three countries reported that
more than 80 percent had completed high school as of
2019. Additionally, among the 36 countries6 for which the
OECD reported 2019 data on postsecondary attainment
rates, the percentages earning any postsecondary degree
ranged from less than 20 percent in Mexico and Italy
to 50 percent or more in five countries (the Republic of
Korea, Israel, Luxembourg, Japan, and Canada). Nineteen
countries, including the United States, reported that
40 percent or more in this age range had earned any
postsecondary degree as of 2019.
The Condition of Education 2021 | 1
Chapter: 5/International Comparisons
Section: Enrollment and Attainment
International Educational Attainment
Figure 1. Percentage of the population 25 to 64 years old who had completed high school in Organization for Economic
Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries: 2010 and 2019
Country
Czech Republic
Lithuania
Poland
Canada1
Slovak Republic
United States1
Finland1
Estonia1
Switzerland
Slovenia
Republic of Korea
Latvia1
Israel
Germany
Austria1
Hungary1
Ireland
Sweden
Australia
Norway1
Denmark1
New Zealand
France1
United Kingdom2
OECD average3
Netherlands
Belgium
Iceland1
Luxembourg
Greece
Italy
Spain1
Colombia
Portugal1
Turkey
Mexico1
0
4
89
93
4
92
91 0 91
7
90
89
90
85
81
89
88
89
89
5
87
86
87
82
84
86
84
83
10
83
81
77
1
85
11
73
#
86
3
4
81
73
5
8
82
1
89
4
83
#
2
91
89
83
1
93
92
88
2
94
92
3
2
82
5
81
71
75
5
75
5
73
55
53
80
79
79
8
75
11
80
80
7
8
70
71
63
80
10
3
78
74
62
7
61
8
57
32
31
32
10
20
30
52
20
42
10
8
40
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Percent
2010
Difference
2019
# Rounds to zero.
1
The International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) was revised in 2011. Although data for 2010 were originally calculated using the 1997 version of ISCED,
the footnoted countries revised their 2010 data to align with the 2011 version of ISCED.
2
Data include some persons who completed a sufficient number of certain types of programs, any one of which individually would be classified as a program that only
partially completes the high school (or upper secondary) level of education.
3
Refers to the mean of the data values for all reporting Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries, to which each country reporting data
contributes equally. The average includes all current OECD countries for which a given year¡¯s data are available, even if they were not members of the OECD in that year.
Countries not shown in this figure may be included in the OECD average.
NOTE: Of the 37 OECD countries, 35 are included in this figure. Data for Colombia and New Zealand are available only for 2019. Chile and Japan are excluded because
data are not available for these countries for 2010 and 2019. Data in this figure refer to degrees classified under ISCED 2011 as completing level 3 (upper secondary
education) or to comparable degrees under ISCED 1997. In the United States, ¡°high school completion¡± refers to individuals who have been awarded a high school
diploma or an equivalent credential, such as the GED. ISCED 2011 was used to calculate data for 2019 for all countries. Some data have been revised from previously
published figures. Although rounded numbers are displayed, the figures are based on unrounded data.
SOURCE: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Online Education Database, retrieved September 14, 2020, from
Index.aspx. See Digest of Education Statistics 2020, table 603.10.
In 31 of the 33 countries7 for which the OECD reported
data on high school completion rates in both 2010 and
2019, the percentage of 25- to 64-year-olds who had
completed high school in 2019 was either higher than or
not measurably different from the percentage in 2010.
The OECD average percentage8 of those with a high school
education rose from 75 percent in 2010 to 80 percent in
2019. Meanwhile, in the United States the percentage who
had completed high school rose from 89 to 91 percent
during this period.
For 25- to 34-year-olds¡ªthat is, the younger age group
whose educational attainment is likely to reflect more
recent shifts in educational and economic systems¡ªthe
OECD average percentage who had completed high
school rose from 82 to 85 percent between 2010 and 2019,
while the corresponding percentage for the United States
increased from 88 to 93 percent. The gap in high school
completion rates between the United States percentage
and the OECD average percentage in 2019 was not
measurably different from the gap in 2010 (7 percentage
points).
The Condition of Education 2021 | 2
Chapter: 5/International Comparisons
Section: Enrollment and Attainment
International Educational Attainment
Figure 2. Percentage of the population who had completed high school in Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD) countries, by selected age groups: 2019
Difference
Country
Republic of Korea
98
67
Slovenia
Poland
89
Canada
87
Switzerland
14
¡ø
5
¡ø
94
7
¡ø
94
85
Lithuania
93
Czech Republic
93
91
93
90
93
United States
Ireland
68
Israel
85
Slovak Republic
88
Australia
70
Austria
80
89
Estonia
89
69
Greece
56
France
69
Hungary
United Kingdom
71
73
Belgium
67
¡ø
11
¡ø
91
Norway
78
Denmark
76
Iceland
70
Italy
50
Portugal
Spain
20
21
¡ø
91
30
40
50
60
70
¡ø
¨‹
-3
¨‹
19
¡ø
87
31
¡ø
87
18
¡ø
92
¡ø
¡ó
29
¡ø
87
14
¡ø
85
14
¡ø
85
13
¡ø
85
18
¡ø
3
¡ø
5
¡ø
81
83
82
81
76
80
9
-2
88
51
29
10
91
59
25
0
¡ø
70
48
Mexico
2
72
36
Turkey
¡ø
75
31
Colombia
6
91
84
Sweden
¡ø
#
72
2
¡ø
3
7
58
New Zealand
2
87
Germany
OECD average1
¨‹
87
87
87
81
Luxembourg
¡ø
24
89
Latvia
Netherlands
95
8
-2
91
81
Finland
¡ø
94
95
81
31
90
7
¡ø
11
¡ø
26
¡ø
45
¡ø
36
¡ø
22
¡ø
34
¡ø
22
¡ø
100
Percent
25 to 34 years old
55 to 64 years old
# Rounds to zero.
¡ø The percentage of 25- to 34-year-olds who had completed high school is higher than the percentage of 55- to 64-year-olds who had completed high school.
¨‹ The percentage of 25- to 34-year-olds who had completed high school is lower than the percentage of 55- to 64-year-olds who had completed high school.
The percentages of 25- to 34-year-olds and 55- to 64-year-olds who had completed high school are not measurably different.
1
Refers to the mean of the data values for all reporting Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries, to which each country reporting data
contributes equally. The average includes all current OECD countries for which a given year¡¯s data are available, even if they were not members of the OECD in that year.
Countries not shown in this figure may be included in the OECD average.
2
Data include some persons who completed a sufficient number of certain types of programs, any one of which individually would be classified as a program that only
partially completes the high school (or upper secondary) level of education.
NOTE: Of the 37 OECD countries, 35 are included in this figure. Chile and Japan are excluded because 2019 data are not available for these countries. Data in this figure
refer to degrees classified under the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) 2011 as completing level 3 (upper secondary education). In the United
States, ¡°high school completion¡± refers to individuals who have been awarded a high school diploma or an equivalent credential, such as the GED. Although rounded
numbers are displayed, the figures are based on unrounded data.
SOURCE: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Online Education Database, retrieved September 14, 2020, from .
aspx. See Digest of Education Statistics 2020, table 603.10.
?
The Condition of Education 2021 | 3
International Educational Attainment
Chapter: 5/International Comparisons
Section: Enrollment and Attainment
In 32 of the 35 countries for which the OECD reported 2019
data on high school completion rates, the percentage of
25- to 34-year-olds who had completed high school was
either higher than or not measurably different from the
percentage of 55- to 64-year-olds who had completed high
school. Across these 32 OECD countries, the average high
school completion percentage was higher for younger
ages (85 percent) than for the older ages (71 percent). The
three exceptions were Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. In
29 countries, including the United States, 80 percent or
more of the younger age group had completed high school
in 2019. In comparison, the percentage of the older age
group who had completed high school was 80 percent or
more in only 16 countries, including the United States.
The Condition of Education 2021 | 4
Chapter: 5/International Comparisons
Section: Enrollment and Attainment
International Educational Attainment
Figure 3. Percentage of the population 25 to 64 years old who had attained any postsecondary degree in Organization for
Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries: 2010 and 2019
Country
Canada1
Japan2
39
38
38
33
33
31
31
29
France1
Latvia1
Austria1
27
28
15
32
30
26
8
17
36
34
26
6
17
39
38
38
33
7
3
26
11
20
8
32
10
27
Hungary1
Slovak Republic
40
39
8
6
25
Greece
Germany
Portugal1
40
7
9
10
22
8
9
24
Slovenia
Poland
41
41
6
32
Spain1
OECD average3
44
43
11
6
35
Netherlands
Denmark1
New Zealand
44
7
35
Estonia1
Belgium
45
10
34
32
47
47
46
44
11
37
Norway1
Sweden
Lithuania
48
8
12
34
50
50
47
10
9
10
38
38
Iceland1
Switzerland
24
7
24
13
15
10
22
9
15
Italy
Mexico1
0
11
7
42
United Kingdom
Australia
Finland1
Czech Republic
Chile
Turkey
52
5
46
United States1
Ireland
59
53
16
35
Luxembourg
Israel
Republic of Korea
9
50
8
45
20
5
4
18
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Percent
2010
Difference
2019
The International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) was revised in 2011. Although data for 2010 were originally calculated using the 1997 version of ISCED,
the footnoted countries revised their 2010 data to align with the 2011 version of ISCED.
Data for both years include some postsecondary nontertiary awards (i.e., awards that are below the associate¡¯s degree level).
3
Refers to the mean of the data values for all reporting Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries, to which each country reporting data
contributes equally. The average includes all current OECD countries for which a given year¡¯s data are available, even if they were not members of the OECD in that year.
Countries not shown in this figure may be included in the OECD average.
NOTE: Of the 37 OECD countries, 36 are included in this figure. Data for Chile and New Zealand are available only for 2019. Colombia is excluded because data are
not available for 2010 and 2019. Data in this figure include all tertiary (postsecondary) degrees, which correspond to all degrees at the associate¡¯s level and above in the
United States. Under ISCED 2011, tertiary degrees are classified at the following levels: level 5 (corresponding to an associate¡¯s degree in the United States), level 6 (a
bachelor¡¯s or equivalent degree), level 7 (a master¡¯s or equivalent degree), and level 8 (a doctoral or equivalent degree). ISCED 2011 was used to calculate data for 2019
for all countries. Some data have been revised from previously published figures. Although rounded numbers are displayed, the figures are based on unrounded data.
SOURCE: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Online Education Database, retrieved September 16, 2020, from
Index.aspx. See Digest of Education Statistics 2020, table 603.20.
1
2
In each of the 34 countries9 for which the OECD reported
data on postsecondary attainment rates in both 2010
and 2019, the percentage of 25- to 64-year-olds who had
earned any postsecondary degree was higher in 2019
than in 2010. During this period, the OECD average
percentage of those with any postsecondary degree
increased by 8 percentage points to 38 percent, while the
corresponding percentage for the United States increased
by 7 percentage points to 48 percent.
The OECD average percentage for 25- to 34-year-olds who
had any postsecondary degree rose from 38 percent in
2010 to 45 percent in 2019. The percentage for those in this
age group in the United States rose from 42 to 50 percent
over this period. The percentage gap in postsecondary
attainment between the United States and the OECD
average in 2019 was not measurably different from the gap
in 2010 (5 percentage points).
The Condition of Education 2021 | 5
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